Improvement in oscillating engines



JOHN w. vAN SANT.

Aimprovement in Oscillating Engines. 125,773.

inventar Patented April i6, i872.

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JOHN W. VAN SANT, OF PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN OSCILLATING ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,773, dated April 16, 1872.

Specification describing anew and Improved Oscillating Steam-Engine, invented by JOHN W. VAN SANT, of Perth Amboy, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey.

Figure l is a side view of my improved engine, showing the position of the parts when the piston is moving forward in the cylinder. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the same taken through the line :v a: of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail face view of the starting, stopping, and reversing plate.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. y

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved oscillating steam-engine, simple in construction, conveniently manipulated, and effective in operation, and which shall be so constructed that the motion may be conveniently reversed or stopped whendesired; and it consists in the construction and combination of various parts of the device, as hereinaftermore 'fully described.

A is a plate, to the side of which, and to another suitable support or frame-work, is pivoted the cylinder B. G is the piston. D is the piston-rod, the outer end of which is pivoted to a crank, E, attached to the shaft E, from which motion is communicated to the machinery to be driven. and to which is attached a fly-wheel, G.. The side ofthe pivoted cylinder that rests against the plate A` is flattened, or has a at plate attached to it which bears against the side of the plate A. b1 b2 are the ports through which the steam passes into and out of the cylinder B, and which pass through the iiattened or inner sides of the cylinder B, near its ends, as shown in the drawing. In the side of the plate A, in the arcs through which the ports b1 b2 move, and opposite each of said ports are formed two holes, al a2, which holes pass directly through said plate A. H is the ingress steam-pipe, the

lower part of which is branched, which branches enter the edge of the plate A and communicate with holes h1 h2' upon the outer side ofthe said plate A. I are the exhaust steam-pipes which enter the lower edge of the plate J, and each of which communicates with two holes, 'il i2, formed in the inner side of the plate J, and twice the distance apart of the holes h1 h2 of the plate A. 'i3` are short slots formed in the inner side of theplate I, opposite the holes h1 h2 that communicate with ingress-pipes H, and of a length equal to or a little longer than the distance apart of the holes al a2. IThe slots i3 communicate with holes 4 formed in the forward or inner side of the plate I, midway between the holes 451 2 of said plate. The plate J slides up and down in ways or guides upon the outer side of the plate A, and must be held closely against said plate. To the outer side of the sliding plate J is secured a rack, K, into the teeth of which mesh. the teeth of a segmental gear-wheel, L, attached to the end of a shaft or rod, M, which works in bearings inl the frame-work of the engine, or in some other suitable support. To the outer end of the rod or shaft M is attached a cross-bar, crank, or handwheel N, to which is attached a pointer, O, which points to marks upon a stationary index-plate, P, attached to the casing or some other stationary part of the engine, to indicate the position in which the corresponding holes in thestationary plate A and movable plate J stand with respect to each other.

With this construction, when the cylinder B is in the position shown in Fig. l the forward port b1 is opposite the upper hole al of the plate A, and the upper forward exhausthole of the plate A, so that the steam is exhausted from thel forward end of the cylinder B. At the same time the rear port b2 of the cylinder is opposite the rear central hole if, and the cylinder is receiving steam in its rear end. As the forward end of the cylinder is depressed the operation is exactly reversed, and the steam is received. into the forward end of the said cylinder and exhausted from its rear end. To

reverse the motions of the engine the plate J is raised by means of the reversing gearing throu gh a space equal to the distance between the holes' co1 a2 of the plate' A, so as to bring the ingress-hole 4 opposite the upper hole al, so that the ends of the cylinder may receive and exhaust steam in the positions in which it before exhausted and received it,I thus reversing the motion. By lowering the plate J from the position first described and raising it from the position last described, the ingressports will both be closed, and the exhaustports atboth ends of the cylinder will be opened,

allowing all the steam to escape from the cylwith holes h1 l1,2 and al a2 for the passage ofthe inder. steam, and with the pivoted or oscillating-ayt Having` thus described my invention, I claim inder B provided With the holes b1 b2, substanas new and desire to secure by Letters Pattially as herein shown and described, and for entthe purpose set forth.

The adjustable slidin g plate J provided with JOHN W. VAN SANT. slots and holes i3 and i4 for the entering steam, Witnesses: and holes il 2 for the exhaust steam, in com- GEORGE A. SEAMAN, bination with the stationary plate A provided.l JOHN HART. 

